Dr. Jerry Johnston Interviews Dr. Timothy Brookins

11 February 2019

Dr. Timothy Brookinsserves as the director of Graduate Programs for the School of Christian Thought, program coordinator for Graduate Theology Programs, interim chair for the Department of Theology and assistant professor of Classics and Biblical Languages. Dr. Brookins specializes in the Greco-Roman context of early Christianity, with a primary emphasis in the Pauline epistles. A new program, Master of Arts in Classics and Early Christianity, is being launched.

While accomplished and working on numerous projects, Dr. Timothy Brookins, director of the Graduate Programs for the HBU School of Christian Thought, is quick to honor his colleagues during a “Think About It” podcast.

“If I can brag on them a little bit,” he says. “We are very strong here in the area of New Testament – and I would add classics. We’ve been fortunate enough to grab great people who have shown great promise and are publishing at the highest venues.” Dr. Jerry Johnston, VP of Innovation and Strategic Marketing for Houston Baptist University, concurs. “I’m really excited about the Graduate School at HBU,” he says. “You often say, ‘a Christian university,’ and you say, ‘What scholars are there?’ And often, you don’t have a long list. But it’s amazing the people that Dr. Sloan has assembled here.”

Brookins describes the steps that led him to his current vocation, from a background in Latin to a love of God’s Word. The ability to combine his love of the Bible, history and language is unique at HBU. Dr. Brookins describes why he came to the University in 2011: “When I first discovered HBU, I was very excited by what they were doing,” he says, “undoubtedly because of the vision to make this a top-tier Christian university. This is in terms of our academic standards but also in terms of our reputation nationwide, and in terms of our involvement in big conversations. We’re moving forward with a Christian vision where we can raise up students to be active in society giving Christians a voice and being a witness to the world. I think our place in Houston also poises us very well to make that happen.”

HBU provides a world-class education with professors who are producing compelling content. “I make a priority to continue publishing and being part of the scholarly conversations,” Brookins says.” And that fits in well with part of our vision here at HBU.

Ultimately, the writing and research points back to the God of the Bible. Johnston says, “What really helped me in my journey was when I began to study God’s Word. It built my faith and it carried me though very difficult circumstances. We are in a world today of such instability that the richness of God’s Word takes the place nothing else can.”

The School of Christian Thought offers a number of degrees, including the recent Master of Arts in Classics and Early Christianity.